MBB: 2025-26 WAC Basketball Preview
The final run in the Wild, Wild, WAC begins. Who will reign supreme?
Coming up with an opening statement about the 2025-26 season preview of men’s basketball in the Western Athletic Conference is filled with excitement, but also a great deal of sadness.
It is exciting times as another college basketball season gets underway.
However, there is a bit of sadness knowing that the Western Athletic Conference, as we have known it, will be rebranding to the United Athletic Conference due to the shifting landscape of conference realignment.
And for the first time since 2013-14, the league tournament will not feature either New Mexico State or Grand Canyon.
If that doesn’t boggle your mind, perhaps this will: the only two teams left from when California Baptist joined the league in 2018-19 are the Lancers and Utah Valley.
If that doesn’t blow your mind, this might: both Utah Valley and California Baptist are heading to the Big West in 2026-27.
Boom!
Just like that, the WAC, as we have known it over the past 12 years, will be gone.
However, there is still a season to play. Seven teams. One goal. Get to the NCAA Tournament.
It should be a little easier considering the WAC won’t be represented by either New Mexico State or GCU, who have combined to win every WAC Tournament since 2017, outside of the Covid year, of course.
I won’t bore you with 20,000 words and a ton of analytical jargon. That’s just not my style.
This preview will give you the basics of every team…and since most of the teams are full of newcomers, we have NO IDEA how things will turn out.
Here is the 2025-26 WAC Preview courtesy of WAC Hoops Nation…in order of preseason ranking.
1. Abilene Christian
“WHAT?!”
I can hear that all over the land from West Texas to Riverside, California.
Look, Brette Tanner’s team returns the most experience of any team in the WAC.
Bradyn Hubbard is a Player of the Year candidate and Preseason All-WAC selection, and the Wildcats get Liberty transfer Joseph Venzant back after he missed 2024-25 with a shoulder issue.
Did I mention the Wildcats can play a little bit of defense? They forced 17 turnovers per game in 2024-25.
Sure, they will miss Leo Bettiol, Hunter Jack Madden, and Quion Williams.
But Rich Smith, Christian Alston, Hubbard, Venzant, and Yaniel Rivera, among others, can hold down the fort.
One thing of note…this is the first time since joining the WAC in 2021-22 that the Wildcats will start WAC play at home.
Experience matters. ACU has a lot of it.
2 - California Baptist
Two and a half words - Dominique Daniels Jr.
That’s it. That is all you need to know about the Lancers.
Okay, perhaps not. Martel Williams is pretty darn good, too.
Dom Daniels Jr. was chosen as the WAC Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches for good reason.
In two seasons in Riverside, Daniels Jr. has averaged 19.2 and 19.6 points, respectively. The dude is 5’10 but plays like a giant.
Here is the issue. Every year, there is a ton of talent in Riverside. Think Milan Acquaah. Brandon Boyd and Gorjok Gak. Taran Armstrong. Kendal Coleman.
Get the point?
However, since joining the WAC before the 2018-19 season, CBU has finished above .500 just twice in WAC play. In 2019-20, CBU finished 10-6, and in 2024-25, the Lancers finished 9-7.
Can Rick Croy get the most out of the talent in Riverside in the final year in the WAC?
It’s basically as Dom Daniels Jr. goes, so go the Lancers.
3 - Utah Valley
Has everyone learned that Todd Phillips can coach?
I’m dead serious with that question.
Let me spell it out for you.
In his first season in 2023-24, Phillips led a completely revamped Wolverine roster to a 16-16 season, the most wins for a first-year head coach in the Division I era.
In his second season, Phillips led another revamped roster to a 25-8 campaign, a WAC regular season title, and a first-ever trip to the WAC Tournament title game.
What will season 3 do for an encore?
Preseason All-WAC selection Trevan Leonhardt is back for the Wolverines. Utah Valley’s Sixth Man Jackson Holcombe is back and will most likely be a starter this season.
Hayden Welling and Noah Taitz return.
But keep an eye on the newcomers. AJ Dixon, Sherman Weatherspoon IV, and UCF transfer Tyler Hendricks.
Phillips believes they will be a better shooting team, and there is lots of length on the 2025-26 version of the Wolverines.
Utah Valley went a perfect 12-0 at the UCCU Center during the 2025-26 season. But that streak may be in jeopardy on Nov. 19 when UC Irvine comes to Orem as part of the Cancun Classic.
Todd Phillips can coach. Can the Wolverines respond in kind?
4 - Southern Utah
I can just hear whaling and knashing of teeth now.
“Southern Utah is WAY too high, Kyle!”
You may be right. But, even though a lot of outlets put a lot of faith in one or two additions to a roster, if you do a deep dive into Rob Jeter’s 2025-26 squad, there is some talent in Cedar City.
Does anyone remember when Southern Utah started the 2024-25 season 8-2? This included what turned out to be a really good win over a really good Omaha squad.
Then, injuries plagued the T-Birds the rest of the season. Southern Utah didn’t have much depth, so when Dom Ford and Tavi Jackson both had to miss time, it had a HUGE effect on the T-Birds.
Now, the T-Birds have a little NIL money saved from guarantee games and have a much deeper roster than 2024-25.
You can listen to Rob Jeter talk about his roster in the podcast episode below.
But, I will throw out three names who will be big for the T-Birds in 2025-26.
UNLV/West Virginia transfer Isaiah Cottrell, LIU transfer Jalen (Roc) Lee, and Holy Cross transfer and Draper, Utah native Jaiden Ferroah.
Keep an eye on all three of those players. A 6’11 forward, 6’7 guard, and a 6’9 forward who can play all positions.
I said not to sleep on Southern Utah last year, and through 10 games it rang true. It will be even more so in 2025-26.
5 - Tarleton State
Texan fans will be all over me when this comes out. I get it. Tarleton State is the greatest.
But, please don’t turn into a certain fan base that we won’t mention, and be a realist for a moment.
The additions of UCF transfer Dior Johnson and DII All-American Cam McDowell are huge for the Texans.
Will they play defense enough to stay on the floor? That is a huge question. Everyone knows head coach Billy Gillispie expects his players to play a certain hard-nosed, tough style of basketball. So, can these two high-profile transfers buy into that philosophy?
My other concern, as it usually always is with the Texans, is the lack of size.
Chris Mpaka chose to come back to Tarleton State after committing to and enrolling at CBU this Summer.
Matyas Vrabel and Sigiscar are the only true bigs on the roster.
On another note, Billy Gillispie loves to go small and use his guards…A LOT.
While the Texans have won some big games at times, at some point, the advantage in size catches up to them.
Here is another little snippet for you.
Since Billy Gillispie became the head coach at Tarleton State, the Texans have finished above .500 just once in WAC play, and that was while Joseph Jones was the acting head coach in 2023-24.
Will the Texans finish higher than this prediction? Most likely.
Is there a ton of faith to put them ahead of the others at this point? No.
Texan fans will say the Texans will prove me wrong. And they will probably be right in that assumption.
6- UT Arlington
Sorry, Mavs fans, I just can’t put UT Arlington much higher.
First, KT Turner returns just one player from a 2024-25 squad that finished 13-18 overall and 6-10 in WAC play.
Second, we know very little about any of the newcomers.
However, there is a bright spot. Raysean Seamster decided to stay for another season at College Park Center.
The 6’7 senior was a go-to weapon for KT Turner last season.
Seamster is a Preseason All-WAC selection after averaging 11.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in his first season in a Mavs uniform.
But after Seamster, there are SO MANY unknowns with the roster that it is hard to determine where the Mavs could finish.
They could finish close to this prediction.
Or, they could shock the world like they did in KT Turner’s first year with a whole new roster and run their way to the WAC title game.
KT Turner is excited about the camaraderie with his new squad, and hopes that chemistry will lead to more wins in 2025-26.
7 - Utah Tech
Can Utah Tech win close games in 2025-26?
That will be the question every time the Trailblazers step on the floor.
Seven of the Trailblazers’ 16 WAC games were decided by one possession. Eight of the games were within 4-5 with a minute remaining.
Heck, the Trailblazers trailed 22-2 early on against Utah Valley, crawled their way back, took a lead, lost a lead, had a chance to win in overtime at the buzzer, but Beon Riley’s 3-point attempt hit the side of the rim.
Now, Jon Judkins starts fresh with some key returners.
Madiba Owona. Remember that name. He will be an All-WAC selection at the end of the season.
I won’t go into details here, but he has crazy athleticism, strength, and the ability to take over a game.
He was raw in his first season in St. George. But he will be one of the most exciting players to watch in the WAC.
Judkins also returns Tobi Ariybi, and got former Utah Valley forward Ethan Potter to come to St. George, too.
Size will be an issue for the Trailblazers as they have nobody taller than 6’8 on the roster.
If the Trailblazers can figure out how to close out a ball game, they will definitely not finish at the bottom of the league.
Final Wrap-Up
If you didn’t follow those small sections on each squad and see my preseason rankings, you can see them now.
Abilene Christian
California Baptist
Utah Valley
Southern Utah
Tarleton State
UT Arlington
Utah Tech
Let’s be honest: putting out a preseason poll is all for clicks and the excitement that another season is right around the corner. THAT’S IT!
Nothing more, nothing less.
We know VERY LITTLE about each team in the WAC. You can say your team has this player or that player, and so forth. But, how will they gel with their new teammates? Will they buy into a new system and a new coach? Will their role change? How will they handle possibly not being ‘the guy’?
There are so many unknowns.
What we do know is that the WAC is WIDE OPEN in 2025-26. No GCU and no New Mexico State make this league WIDE OPEN for the taking.
Add in that each team has to play each other three times, and then will have to play a team a fourth time in a win-or-go-home situation, and it makes the season even more of a guessing game.
See? 2,000-plus words.
Short, simple, and sweet.
Exactly what the final year of men’s basketball in the Western Athletic Conference won’t be.